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~ Tips and Guidelines on Preventing Scams ~ March 4, 2010

I think most of us had received a spam emai. But please do not ever trust this email. They are just fake and people who want to take advantage on you.

Below is a tip to prevent a scam.

When you receive an SMS or email saying you have won something, always verify it with the company named in the SMS or email. Contact the company in Malaysia and not the number given to you in the SMS or in the email.

If the message cannot be verified, ignore or delete it. Do not forward the SMS or email to others as this serves to further propagate the scam.

If you are a victim of a scam, first report to your bank in order to get your account blocked and then lodge a police report at a nearby police station. You need to provide relevant details indicating the scam in the reports.

You should never provide your bank details, such as account number, ATM card number or PIN number to a third party, even in your police report.

Do not open a bank account for a third party. If you have done it, close it immediately and lodge a police report.

If you are asked to call a number to verify your gift and the person on the other end claims to be Malaysian but has a foreign accent, be suspicious. However, users are advised to refrain from communicating with the scammers.

Do not respond to text messages or emails from anyone requesting for private information such as their internet banking’s username, password or TAC number, even if the request comes from your bank.

Do not reveal your Internet username or password to anyone even if they claim to be from the bank.

Do not register any third party mobile number at your bank’s ATMs for the issuance of TAC. Only register your own mobile phone number so that the TAC is sent to you.

Never allow a third party to use your ATM card or have access to your PIN.

Always be careful when making online transactions especially at unsecured places like cyber cafes, or at wireless hotspots.

You may also forward details of scams such as the source of the SMS and the telephone number to be called as well as other details about the scam, to a nearby police station for the police to investigate.

Users who received scam emails may forward the full header of the scam email to MyCERT for our further analysis to trace the originating IP address of the scam email.

Feedbacks can be directed to MyCERT.

Produced in 27th June 2008 by MyCERT, CyberSecurity Malaysia,
an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).